Space Exploration / Space Flight: Manned

[Paul_Exeter]

I predict a launch delay until tomorrow.

That first shuttle launch was delayed

 

[Trevp666]

Weather delay and a hydrogen fuel tank leak being addressed means launch is delayed but still planned for today.

 

[Trevp666]

Live feed and commentary from NASA.

 

[skinny]

Oh Schmitt was the other guy still ticking - and it was A17, not 16. Only four left.

I think we can give honourary mentions to Lovell and Haise coz they went, even though they didn't get to kick the dust. Boorman, Anders and Stafford likewise. Great job, lads.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

Sounds like a delay unfortunately

 

[Trevp666]

Currently on an 'unplanned hold' at T -40 minutes.
Launch director is establishing a way forward with the engines teams due to a fix required on one of the 4 engines.
We are waiting for further updates.

 

[Trevp666]

The close-up pictures of the bottom of the whole assembly, where it shows the engines on the main stack and the SRBs, shows that the construction appears to be a little 'bits-and-pieces', like a whole bunch of parts cobbled together. Not at all smooth like the SpaceX ships.

(This view - in which you can see all sorts of extra panels and plates, riveted sections, 'sticky out' bits etc etc)

 

[skinny]

De rigueur for these tests. Contingencies will be in place and let's hope the launch gets up in an hour or so.

Anybody across the 'new nine' to ride these birds in a few years? I heard NASA is expecting to have to include an afroamerican and a lady for the moonshot for some reason. I don't get it. If they've topped the checklists, then booyah. Otherwise, it seems to be a bit of a risk to send hoomans to walk on another planet on the basis of their racial heritage or gender. Dangerous and dumb.

 

[skinny]

cobbled together

Moving too quickly then? Bit premature for the program?
We've seen it before. Apollo 1 was a result of momentum poorly driven. Hope that isn't the case. Biiiig bomb under the cabin. 8+million pounds of thrust. Four supersize tanks of kero. If it pops, we'll feel the shockwave in Western Boggabri.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

De rigueur for these tests. Contingencies will be in place and let's hope the launch gets up in an hour or so.

Anybody across the 'new nine' to ride these birds in a few years? I heard NASA is expecting to have to include an afroamerican and a lady for the moonshot for some reason. I don't get it. If they've topped the checklists, then booyah. Otherwise, it seems to be a bit of a risk to send hoomans to walk on another planet on the basis of their racial heritage or gender. Dangerous and dumb.

The age we live in. NASA have predicted that if they only send white men to the moon then Twitter will go into meltdown. NASA rely on public funding and do not need a Twitter-storm of criticism. I can promise you that someone will kick off if no trans people make it to the moon during the Artemis missions.

 

[Trevp666]

Look, these days, it is irrelevant who they send up in one of these rockets, they are little more than meat-bag ballast items during the flight due to everything being automated and computerised.
It'll be more about their duties once they reach the destination.
As long as they actually send the best person with the best skills, knowledge and abilities for the job at hand I couldn't give a flying fuck what colour/race/religion/sexuality etc etc etc they are.
Just please don't have their colour/race/religion/sexuality etc be the determining factor, just for the sake of 'box ticking'.

 

[Trevp666]

Moving too quickly then? Bit premature for the program?

Yeah, especially when you get up really close and see all the exposed pipes etc....terrible.

 

[skinny]

Look, these days, it is irrelevant who they send up in one of these rockets, they are little more than meat-bag ballast items during the flight due to everything being automated and computerised.
It'll be more about their duties once they reach the destination.
As long as they actually send the best person with the best skills, knowledge and abilities for the job at hand I couldn't give a flying fuck what colour/race/religion/sexuality etc etc etc they are.
Just please don't have their colour/race/religion/sexuality etc be the determining factor, just for the sake of 'box ticking'.

Right on. Horses for courses, surely.

 

[skinny]

Yeah, especially when you get up really close and see all the exposed pipes etc....terrible.
View attachment 58417

Fuck yeah. Y'think somebody should tell them maybe? While there's a delay and that?

 

[Paul_Exeter]

NASA should send a bandwagon to the moon, they would be able to land a much larger proportion of the planet's population and with the added advantage of people jumping on it all the way to the moon...

 

[Trevp666]

Todays launch attempt has been scrubbed.
Craft held in a stable state.

 

[skinny]

bum

 

[Kondoru]

What did I just miss?

 

[Trevp666]

I predict a launch delay until tomorrow.

I should have put money on it.

 

[Mythopoeika]

NASA should send a bandwagon to the moon, they would be able to land a much larger proportion of the planet's population and with the added advantage of people jumping on it all the way to the moon...

It wouldn't be aerodynamic enough to clear the atmosphere:

 

[Mythopoeika]

What did I just miss?

The world just ended. You can go back to sleep now.

 

[Paul_Exeter]

It wouldn't be aerodynamic enough to clear the atmosphere:

Powered by Twitter-rage it would...

 

[Trevp666]

I saw the NASA chap on tv last night saying that they couldn't have launched at the beginning of their launch window, due to precipitation, and not at the end of their launch window, due to chance of lightning strikes, and the several technical issues which they couldn't fix means that they won't have another opportunity until Friday.
It all sounds rather ramshackle.

 

[Kondoru]

Yes, but you cannot risk astronauts like you did fifty years ago; these days their mums would not let them go.

(Does an unmanned mission count in this section?)

Thanks Myth, for showing me a bandwagon; I always wondered what one looked like.

 

[ramonmercado]

Yes, but you cannot risk astronauts like you did fifty years ago; these days their mums would not let them go.

(Does an unmanned mission count in this section?)

Thanks Myth, for showing me a bandwagon; I always wondered what one looked like.

Don't forget that Shaun is onboard, maybe he gives the computers extra RAM.

 

[Trevp666]

Don't forget that Shaun is onboard, maybe he gives the computers extra RAM.

View attachment 58441

That's terrible.
lol.

 

[Trevp666]

Maybe it's because of Shaun that NASA appears to have so much woolly thinking.

 

[Trevp666]

Looks like they're going to be giving it another go on Saturday (early evening UK time).
"Saturday's launch will be timed for 14:17 local time (18:17 GMT; 19:17 BST) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62733267

 

[skinny]

Fingers and toesies x’d.

 

[RaM]

4 or 5 hours to launch window fueling it up at the moment,